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Leona Helmsely (1920-2007) - All To The Dog

The very pampered and wealthy Leona Helmsley was born in 1920 and died in 2007

She was perceived as excessively unpleasant and rude and the tabloid press of New York City dubbed her "Queen of Mean".

She married several times and made her fortune in real estate investment.

She was indicted for tax evasion in 1988 and served 19 months in prison. She is forever remembered for a saying attributed to her by an ex-employee:

“We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.”

In 1972, she married the billionaire real estate tycoon Harry Helmsley, who died in 1997.

The Queen of Mean died on August 20, 2007 of heart failure, at the age of 87. She left most of her estate, estimated at $4-billion, to a charitable trust but $12-million was first set aside for her 9-year old dog, named Trouble, which was more than she left to two grandchildren, who each received $5-million.

Two other grand-children received nothing, the Will explaining “for reasons which are known to them”.

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Duhaime Lawisms

We must not, by any whimsical conceits supposed to be adapted to the altering fashions of the time, overturn the established law of the land. It descended to us as a sacred charge and it is our duty to preserve it.
Justice Kenyon, Clayton v Adams, (1796) 6 T.R. 605

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Unless otherwise noted, this article was written by Lloyd Duhaime, Barrister, Solicitor, Attorney and Lawyer (and Notary Public!). It is not intended to be legal advice and you would be foolhardy to rely on it in respect to any specific situation you or an acquaintance may be facing. In addition, the law changes rapidly and sometimes with little notice so from time to time, an article may not be up to date. Therefore, this is merely legal information designed to educate the reader. If you have a real situation, this information will serve as a good springboard to get legal advice from a lawyer.